Messages

31

The Green Room / Re: Just a little something fun...

« on: Dec 23, 2015, 05:49 pm »

Technology is delightful!

32

Tools of the Trade / Re: Spiking astroturf/fake grass

« on: Oct 17, 2015, 12:04 pm »

I like KMC's idea of the spike-stencil, but have an idea if the spikes need to be non-permanent in nature if you're borrowing the material. Put down your template, spray a light, washable adhesive (I'm thinking hair spray) into the stencil, and then sprinkle powdered chalk, like you would buy to refill a chalk line. They might have to be maintained every once in a while, but should be easy to remove once every thing is done.

33

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / COMMUNICATION: What to say when they're late...

« on: Mar 04, 2015, 03:10 pm »

So, I'm trying to figure out what I'm saying that's so funny, whenever a cast member calls to let me know they're running late. (Luckily, I can generally get them to do that part of it!)

It's usual something like, "Okay, thanks for letting me know. Get here as soon as you can, get your mic on, and come out on stage for sound check as soon as you arrive. Give me a call at {10 minutes after they were supposed to be here} if you're still en route."

And then, about 75% of the time, they laugh. Not mean laugh, just laugh, like I've said something joking, and they get the joke. I am very confused.

So, what does everyone else say to their casts, when they call you let you know they're running late?

Edited to add topic tag. - Maribeth

34

December Madness 2 / Re: SOFTWARE Division Finals: Excel vs Qlab

« on: Dec 22, 2014, 10:32 am »

I'm going to have to hang in there with Qlab. I'm a "single source" stage manager at most of my gigs; I don't call ques, I execute them. I can think of at least a dozen shows, off the top of my head, that could not have been done as envisioned without Qlab. Heck, some of them I barely could manage with Qlab!
Not having Excel would bite a big one, but I can fake a lot of it with well executed tables in Word, if I have to. There's not a single show I've done that makes me think, "Thank goodness for Excel! I could never have done this show without it!"

P.S. (PC vs. Mac has nothing to do with my choice!)

35

Employment / Re: WHAT NOT TO PUT ON YOUR RESUME . . .

« on: Dec 17, 2014, 12:28 pm »

I read a bit of advice somewhere that I really liked; put one interesting, non-related skill on your resume. It rounds you out as a person, makes your resume stand out a bit, and it gives an interviewer a jumping off point for the dreaded, "So tell me about you, I see you can juggle..."

This can back fire, you have to be very careful with it.  I think juggling is not that out there our weird. 
You can stand out in the wrong way.
Why not stand out based on your skills and show list instead?

Seeing as my skills list is: Sight-read music, hand and machine sewing, basic electrics repairs, carpentry, scenic painting, word processing, spreadsheets, Photoshop, two-scene preset lighting boards, ETC boards Obsession & Express, juggling, Q-Lab programming and operation.  Intermediate to advanced PC skills, beginners to intermediate Mac skills, I don't think juggling wedged in the middle is going to hurt me any. You're right, it ISN'T that out there and weird. Just enough different, and possibly even useful, depending on the show.
"Long Tailed Cat Wrangling," just sounds like an insulting way of listing people management skills.

36

Employment / Re: WHAT NOT TO PUT ON YOUR RESUME . . .

« on: Dec 16, 2014, 11:13 am »

I do have one not-an-SM-skill-at-all on my resume: Juggling. Literally juggling three balls in the air, not the sort of "juggling" we're all doing, all the time.

I read a bit of advice somewhere that I really liked; put one interesting, non-related skill on your resume. It rounds you out as a person, makes your resume stand out a bit, and it gives an interviewer a jumping off point for the dreaded, "So tell me about you, I see you can juggle..."

Also, who knows. I might do a show someday where one of the cast members has to be taught to juggle!

37

December Madness 2 / Re: SOCIAL, Round 2: Twitter vs. Tumblr

« on: Dec 04, 2014, 01:11 pm »

I don't use Twitter and I do use Tumblr. I still voted Twitter.
Is Tumblr useful for anything but wasting time?

38

December Madness 2 / Re: WEBSITE, Round 1: Webmail vs. AEA Docs

« on: Dec 02, 2014, 12:58 pm »

AEA docs are only useful if you're working an AEA show. While those are coveted gigs, they by no means cover the majority of shows out there. Meanwhile, it seems like everyone uses Gmail, these days.

39

December Madness 2 / Re: SOFTWARE: Word vs Web Browser

« on: Dec 02, 2014, 12:55 pm »

If this were Excel vs. either of those, I wouldn't have a problem choosing, but Word vs browser...

I'm gonna go with web browser. Most of what I use word processing for, I COULD generate by hand, or do just as easily in excell, but I can't research most of the stuff I find myself looking up during rehearsals without a web browser.

40

December Madness 2 / Re: December Madness 2: Digital Boogaloo (Starts 12/1/2014!)

« on: Nov 24, 2014, 06:24 pm »

Oooooo, this one's gonna be good. As someone in a position where I typically am running the shows I'm "calling," I'm rooting for Qlab!

41

The Green Room / Re: Easiest Group of People to Work With?

« on: Nov 11, 2014, 12:12 pm »

I've found puppeteers are a mixed bag. Since they're so used to being self-sufficient, about 80% of them are the least demanding, easy-going, twisted, fun group to work with.

That other 20% though...

42

Stage Management: Other / Re: How To call a Dance Show when your Unsure

« on: Sep 27, 2014, 01:01 pm »

<snip>  Obviously these are not helpful if anyone else was running the show but they are not ques just a way to follow the action and are accompanied with times the actual cues are more straight forward but its memorable!

I disagree about it not being helpful if someone else had to run the show. If it were a "anyone else" who has little-to-no dance experience, I imagine they could hazard a good guess about "evil music," and "weaving arms," especially if there are approximate timings included!

43

The Green Room / Re: I'm gonna leave this here...

« on: Sep 25, 2014, 12:42 pm »

Apropos of our other discussion on SM t-shits, mugs, etc: In some of my more frustrated moments I fantasize about having some of that SM's lines on a t-shirt and wearing it to tech...

44

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: Talk to me about tech...

« on: Sep 24, 2014, 11:00 am »

Whew, but that's a big question. Without knowing more about your situation, it's hard to know what to tell you.

In theory, an SM with NO technical knowledge can run tech pretty well, since the designers should be doing all that tech "heavy lifting." In practice it helps a lot to know what goes into "adjusting levels," "repatching," "focusing," "EQing," "linking Qs in Qlab," etc., etc. so that you can estimate how long those tasks are going to take, and if another department can be working on something else at the same time, or if you should call a break for the actors.

Unfortunately, a lot of that knowledge comes from previous SM experience, or having worked in those departments, before. There's no way you're going to pick up what you're looking for in book learning before tech.

I'd suggest being honest with the design team going in. "I don't really know or understand a lot about your department, but I want to learn while making sure tech goes as smoothly as possible. Can you help me out by letting me know what you're doing when we stop, and how long you think it will take?"

Good luck!

45

The Green Room / Re: Article: lighting glitch for The Full Monty!

« on: Sep 21, 2014, 12:16 pm »

I'm curious as the what the issue was; it doesn't say.
Was the cue called incorrectly? Board op error? Burnt out lights, patched incorrectly, or any other thing that could go wrong?
In the end it doesn't really matter, but I can't help being very curious!